Amazon's Kindle Fire HD review: 'Tepid'
Tablet wars: Amazon.com Inc's latest $199 tablet computer got tepid reviews from some closely watched gadget reviewers, a potential hiccup for the world's largest Internet retailer as it tries to grab a bigger share of one of the hottest technology sectors this holiday season.
David Pogue of The New York Times said the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD has no camera on the back, no GPS navigation, no speech recognition, and trails Apple Inc's more expensive iPad in thickness, screen size, screen sharpness, Web speed, software polish and application availability.
Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal said the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is not as polished, fluid or versatile as the iPad. After prolonged use, some apps and content took longer to launch and web pages loaded more slowly through the new Wi-Fi technology, compared to the iPad, he added.
Ads assault users every time they start the device or resume using it, Mossberg also noted. Amazon said this weekend that customers can turn ads off for $15.
Consumer Reports highlighted the limited apps available for the device, while noting storage is bigger at 16GB but still limited. The tablet ships without a charger, which the magazine called annoying.
It may not be for everyone, said Paul Reynolds, electronics editor at Consumer Reports.
An Amazon spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on the reviews on Wednesday.
Amazon's new range of tablets, launched last week, are crucial for the company's goal of selling more digital content, such as ebooks, music, video, games and apps.
Lukewarm
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